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Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app designed to work without an internet connection, has disappeared from Apple and Google’s app stores in India, months after New Delhi first sought to restrict access to the open-source software. Dorsey said Saturday that the Indian government had ordered Apple to remove Bitchat from its App Store in the country. In a notice from Apple that Dorsey posted on X, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the demand under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the country’s primary legal provision for government-ordered online blocking. Apple’s notice said Bitchat would remain available on its App Store outside India. However, access to the app through its TestFlight beta-testing service would also be blocked in the country. Bitchat was also no longer available for download through Google Play in India when TechCrunch checked on Saturday. Bitchat’s website was also inaccessible across various internet service providers in the country. It was not immediately clear whether Google and internet service providers had also received directions from the federal government. Apple, Google, and India’s IT ministry did not respond to requests for comment. Launched in July last year, Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking to allow nearby devices to exchange encrypted messages without relying on cellular networks, internet access, or centralized servers. In July 2026, Dorsey revealed that Indian authorities had ordered GitHub to take down repositories associated with the open-source messaging app, raising questions among digital rights advocates and legal experts about the legal basis for restricting software based on its functionality. The Indian government said in its order to GitHub at the time that Bitchat’s architecture made it hard for law enforcement agencies to intercept communications or trace users, and pointed to its ability to continue operating during internet shutdowns. The July order relied on a provision of India’s information technology law that deals with intermediaries and their liability for third-party content. That differs from Section 69A, cited in Apple’s latest notice. The Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group, called the latest order unconstitutional, arguing that Section 69A allows the government to block unlawful information but not a messaging app because of its ability to operate during internet shutdowns. It also said neither the blocking order nor the allegedly illegal content cited as the basis for the action had been made public. The latest restrictions on Bitchat come as India is seeing a fresh wave of youth-led protests over changes to the country’s voter rolls. Police detained several people during demonstrations in New Delhi on Saturday, as protesters demanded the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. Authorities suspended internet services around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for 12 hours on Friday during protests there. During July’s protests, demonstrators reportedly turned to Bitchat and rival app Briar after authorities suspended internet services. Interest in Bitchat surged in India around the same time. The country accounted for about 85% of the app’s global downloads between July 17 and July 23, up from roughly 1% in the previous 30 days, data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower showed.
document fetched 2026-10-04 02:50 · canonical https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/03/jack-dorseys-bitchat-disappears-from-app-stores-in-india-after-government-order